David Hankey from Great Easton in Leicestershire wrote to me: "I was very interested to read the letter from Lynn Thurston regarding the 'heavyweight' newspapers, particularly the weekend editions.
"The Telegraph on Saturday is by far and away the worst offender as it expects the retail newsagent to put together and prepare their newspaper for sale, all for the princely sum of 2p per insert, which is taken off us if we dare to return any 'unsolds'. What an absolute ruddy disgrace!" he adds.
"In my view, it is high time the newspaper industry was brought to account and the NFRN, of which I'm not a member, has a central role to play in asserting its position to bring some common sense to this out-dated and medieval approach by publishers to the retail trade.
"I have written to the Daily Telegraph on numerous occasions before, and all to no avail. They simply aren't interested. The unfortunate position we retailers are in is this: don't put the inserts in and face the wrath of our customers; put them in for a pittance and watch customers filling up the rubbish bin outside with the supplements they're not interested in!
"I, too, would be happy to hear a response from the industry and a positive line from the Daily Telegraph in particular, which I hope you will be able to secure."
Well, I have David, although I don't suppose it will translate as all that positive.
The woman in the circulation department at the Daily Telegraph was very willing to speak. She said the majority of the weight of the paper actually came from the editorial section.
"We've done a lot of research into what readers want - unfortunately, you cannot do a pick and mix. And if something is missing we get a hell of a lot of complaints. On Saturdays readers get between two and three sections and retailers are paid 2p per section and on top of that HND retailers get a heavyweight allowance which was agreed with the NFRN."
And I have to give her the final word too on the outcome. "This week we sold a million copies on Saturday."
"The Telegraph on Saturday is by far and away the worst offender as it expects the retail newsagent to put together and prepare their newspaper for sale, all for the princely sum of 2p per insert, which is taken off us if we dare to return any 'unsolds'. What an absolute ruddy disgrace!" he adds.
"In my view, it is high time the newspaper industry was brought to account and the NFRN, of which I'm not a member, has a central role to play in asserting its position to bring some common sense to this out-dated and medieval approach by publishers to the retail trade.
"I have written to the Daily Telegraph on numerous occasions before, and all to no avail. They simply aren't interested. The unfortunate position we retailers are in is this: don't put the inserts in and face the wrath of our customers; put them in for a pittance and watch customers filling up the rubbish bin outside with the supplements they're not interested in!
"I, too, would be happy to hear a response from the industry and a positive line from the Daily Telegraph in particular, which I hope you will be able to secure."
Well, I have David, although I don't suppose it will translate as all that positive.
The woman in the circulation department at the Daily Telegraph was very willing to speak. She said the majority of the weight of the paper actually came from the editorial section.
"We've done a lot of research into what readers want - unfortunately, you cannot do a pick and mix. And if something is missing we get a hell of a lot of complaints. On Saturdays readers get between two and three sections and retailers are paid 2p per section and on top of that HND retailers get a heavyweight allowance which was agreed with the NFRN."
And I have to give her the final word too on the outcome. "This week we sold a million copies on Saturday."
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